Archive for the ‘Honda S2000’ Category

One could argue that the sports car market is slowly deteriorating, leaving us with nothing but slightly faded memories of our illustrious past in which we would dream of owning cars like the Nissan 350Z,Honda S2000,Toyota Supra, or Nissan Skyline. But, those days might as well be gone as the Nissan Z line is in danger of becoming a badge for the SUV, the Skyline (for intents and purposes in the sports car market) is dead, Honda has remained quiet about an S2000 successor, and it seems like every day another SUV is born, and even taking the name of once awesome cars (think of the abortion on wheels known as the Eclipse Cross, for example.) With the EV evolution slowing taking shape, however, we can find new hope in a future where sports cars may once again reign supreme or, at the very least, maintain a firm hold in a market that we hold so near and dear to our hearts.

Regardless of your taste in sports cars, or ideal price point, you can’t deny the fact that the offerings for sports cars seem to be dwindling unless you’re willing to pay out the ass for something like the Nissan GT-R, or Mercedes-AMG GT, for example. Even the Nissan 370Z has been practically untouched for the last decade, leaving it as a poor choice even if you could afford one. But, we still have cars like the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins, and Mazda recently hit us with the new MX-5 Miata. BMW and Toyota are about to bring a new Z4 and Supra to the market within the next year, so you could say things are starting to look better, but we’re still missing something. I’m talking about, of course, the Honda S2000. And, while Honda hasn’t said a word about a successor, we could have already seen a glimmer of hope in the 2017 Honda Sports EV Concept. The question is, does Honda have the balls to step back into the compact sports car market? Let’s talk some more about it!

Is the Sports EV a Future S2000?

“A specific segment or niche doesn’t need a lot of models competing”

Whether or not Honda will ever announce a successor to the Honda S2000 remains to be seen, but it’s certainly got its eye on the compact sports car market as seen with the Sports EV Concept that it brought to the Tokyo Motor Show. Sure, Honda didn’t say much about it, and it is electric, but that’s the future of the automotive industry, right? Why couldn’t Honda jump back into the market with its first, dead-to-rights all-electric vehicle? Well, it damn sure could, and the Sports EV would be a prime competitor.

Take this scenario for example. Honda manages to give this baby a range of about 350 miles and motors capable of delivering around 300 horsepower while keeping the weight in check. It could be rear-wheel drive or even all-wheel drive – it could be optioned either way. As a coupe, it would take on the BRZ and 86 twins, or as a hard-top convertible it could take on cars like the Mazda MX-5 Miata RF, Toyota Supra, or the BMW Z4. The latter would require the sports EV to have a little more power at its disposal, and it would have to be luxurious enough to compete, but it could certainly pose a serious threat. A specific segment or niche doesn’t need a lot of models competing – manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW have proved that with their funky coupe-ish crossovers, wagons, and sportbacks – so there’s no reason why the market has to die now that we have replacements for the Z4 and Supra coming. If Honda put this sports EV into production – even with a gasoline engine – it could be on point when this niche is at its strongest, and it could claim itself a pretty decent chunk of the pie too.

Taking it a Step Further

“Honda needs something to compete in the little sports car market again, and the sports EV will provide the basis”

Let’s take the Sports EV Concept, and put it into production much quicker. I say, Honda keeps it front-wheel drive and drops the new Type-R drivetrain under the hood. Hell, it could do one even better and drop it into the rear, making it rear-engine, rear-wheel drive. That would be something, don’t you think? Think about this little compact with 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of turbocharged, four-cylinder, six-speed, three-pedaled Honda madness on tap. In the Civic Type R, that engine is enough to push the car up to 60 mph in as little as 4.9 seconds. It can also run the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds, with maximum speed (if you have a long-enough straightaway coming in at 169 mph. Take a lighter, more compact car like the Sports EV Concept with the same drivetrain, two seats, and plenty of weight reduction measures, and I bet that Type R engine will push it to 60 mph in close to four seconds, with the quarter-mile coming in less than 12.5 seconds. Top speed might even be a little higher too, but who cares about that – this little car will be fast, and that’s exactly what Honda needs. Honda needs something to compete in the little sports car market again, and the sports EV will provide the basis with battery packs or a gas tank – it doesn’t matter at this point as long as the brand does it.

2018 Honda Civic Type R Specs

Engine Type

Turbocharged In-Line 4-Cylinder

Turbocharger

Single-Scroll MHI TD04 with Internal Wastegate

Boost Pressure

22.8 psi

Displacement (cc)

1,996

Horsepower (SAE net)

306 HP @ 6,500 RPM

Torque (SAE net)

295 LB-FT @ 2,500-4,500 RPM

Fuel economy (City/Highway/Combined) (mpg)

22 / 28 / 25

Curb Weight (lbs.)

3,117

0 to 60 mph

4.9 seconds

Quarter-mile

13.5 seconds at 108 mph

Top Speed

169 mph

Oh, How I want to see this Happen

Oh Honda, please please please make this happen. I would love to see the Sports EV come to market. I would even love to see it come to market as an according-to-Hoyle EV, but I’m willing to settle for getting it faster if you can just throw that Type R drivetrain under the hood. I’d really love to see it come in a rear-engine, rear-wheel configuration too. Will that ever happen? Well, I wouldn’t hold my breath, but having the Type R drivetrain up front or having it as an official EV that can take on the BRZ, 86, Z4 and Supra is well within the realm of reality. Someone over at Honda just needs to greenlight it and make it happen. Lord knows I’m waiting. What do you all think, though? Would the Sports EV be successful as a competitor against the cars currently on the market or about to be, assuming it delivers enough power? How about a rear-engined Honda? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

So we started talking in the office about what sports cars we want to see revived, and we settled on a pair of classic sports cars and one car that is officially dead, but not out of showrooms yet. The Porsche 944,Honda S2000, and the Dodge Viper are all in our dream garage of dead cars we want to return. Keep reading to find out why!

So we started talking in the office about what sports cars we want to see revived, and we settled on a pair of classic sports cars and one car that is officially dead, but not out of showrooms yet. The Porsche 944,Honda S2000, and the Dodge Viper are all in our dream garage of dead cars we want to return. Keep reading to find out why!

Turns out the huge press the new generation Mazda MX-5 got, and the launch of its Italian cousin Fiat 124, were the kick in the pants Honda needed to go ahead and revive their own open-top sports car. A brand-new version of the legendary Honda S2000 is now under development and it should ready by 2017.

Honda’s officials have revealed to Autocar details of the production plan and even what sort of powertrains we can expect to find in the new Honda S2000. The design of the new car will be invariably influenced by the Honda NSX sports car. It will be rear-will-drive, naturally, and it could be powered by a 1.5 liter turbocharged unit with the S2000’s signature dish that is the VTEC technology.

As with the previous versions, the new Honda S2000 is going to be the most powerful among its rivals, packing in its base version around 180bhp. The best news is, Honda is also said to be plotting a Type-R version, powered by the same 2.0 liter turbocharged engine they use in the new Civic Type-R, though it is unlikely that the roadster gets the same 306bhp the hot hatch does. The Type-R would have some tasty specs, including a carbon aero kit, Honda’s fancy damping system, and limited-slip differential. It would challenge the inevitable Abarth 124 Spider.

That’s the word from a recent report posted by the Australian-based publication Motoring, which cites an unidentified Honda insider as saying that the automaker has not only been debating the possibility of another mid-engine model for several years, but that the go-ahead has been given for development.

The new baby NSX would bear similar exterior proportions to the H-badged supercar, slotting between the top-dog NSX and S660/S1000 kei roadster on Honda’s vehicle totem pole, in terms of performance, price, and aesthetics. Motive power will most likely be derived from a longitudinally mounted, turbocharged 2.0-liter VTEC four-cylinder plucked from the nose of the new Type R and tuned to deliver 326 horsepower at the rear wheels, which is 20 more than you get from the new hot-hatch. This would combine with two electric motors driving the front wheels for close to 400 horsepower total.

Grip and cornering prowess would be enhanced via Acura’s Super Handling AWD (SH-AWD) system connected to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. To keep mass at a minimum, the car will be based on an aluminum space frame with aluminum and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body panels.

We recently told about the Honda S1000 — a mid-engine, compact performance car based on the S660 kei car currently being considered. According to Austrailia’s Motoring, the next S2000 would be positioned between the S1000 and the NSX, and against the Porsche Boxster/,Cayman,Alfa Romeo 4C and Nissan’s next Z car. Power is expected to be well north of 300 horsepower and could come courtesy of a more fuel-efficient version of the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. A pair of electric motors will power the front wheels, while power to the rears would be channeled through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Continue reading to learn more about Honda’s future trio of mid-engined sports cars.